The average American has home has 300,000 items and research shows that it’s a major source of stress and depression for women. But keeping your home clean and tidy isn’t easy! A lot of us have been wondering how to keep a clean house for most of our adult lives. And waking up to a messy house is a good way to start the day off on the wrong foot.
That’s why I decided to follow a daily routine – so I could wake up to a clean house every day and save myself from hours of cleaning on the weekends. If that sounds like something you could use, keep reading! And get excited to find out how to keep a clean house! 🙌
MAKE THE BED EACH DAY
The first task is to make your bed each day.
I know, I know, it seems so trivial and unnecessary but it really does make a difference.
My bedroom can have papers scattered on the floor and Mountain Dew cans taking over my nightstand, but if the bed is made, the whole room feels put together.
During the week when my husband is at work, I’ll sneak into my room for a few minutes for some peace and quiet. Having the bed made makes it so much easier to enjoy this short time to myself.
If you’re not a morning person, you can always come back to it shortly after you’ve woken up. But it seriously only takes a couple of minutes to tuck in the sheets, straighten the comforter, and fix the pillows.
Time: less than 5 minutes
Need to get rid of the mess and start decluttering? Click below to join my FREE 5-Day Declutter Challenge starting on Monday, March 29th! 👇
EMPTY YOUR DISHWASHER EACH MORNING
And run it every night before you go to sleep!
This is probably the most important tip on this list. Once you make it a habit, it can help you avoid that dreaded pile of overflowing dishes in the sink.
Here’s how it works:
Every night after dinner, run the dishwasher
If your family has a lot of snacks, you can certainly run it right before bed.
Don’t worry if it’s not completely full; that’s a habit we picked up from older generations when dishwashers were clunky and didn’t work as well.
Empty it each morning shortly after you wake up
I like to empty mine while we’re eating breakfast. Over the years, different times have worked better depending on the ages of my kids. Find what works for you and stick with it!
Add your dirty dishes to the dishwasher throughout the day
If you rinse them off immediately after you’re done eating, it will only take a couple of seconds.
I know that’s easier said than done, especially when you have a handful of plates covered with ketchup. Sometimes I just can’t be bothered to deal with the ketchup plates. Even so, it’s much easier to tackle a couple of plates than an overflowing sink.
If you have a small family or no kids at all, you can still make this work for you!
You might only need to run your dishwasher every 2-3 nights, but the same steps still apply.
Time: 20 minutes at night and 10 minutes in the morning
WASH ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY FROM START TO FINISH
This is another overwhelming task that can be easily simplified once you find your groove.
I have found that washing one load from start to finish each day is a lot easier than trying to do it all at once. I have far too many kids to do all their laundry in one day. 😂
Throw one load of laundry in the washing machine in the morning
I like to do this right after I’ve emptied the dishwasher.
Transfer it to the dryer in the afternoon
Your personal schedule will effect when you transfer the load to the dryer. As a stay-at-home mom, I like to transfer the clothes before lunch.
If you work outside the home, you may want to transfer them before you leave for work. Or you can start the washer right when you come home from work and transfer them before dinner!
Fold and put the clothes away before bed
After dinner, I sit down on the couch and fold the daily load while I catch up on new episodes of Blue Bloods. Sometimes I have my kids help and sometimes I wait until after they’ve gone to sleep. It depends on their attitudes. 😉
It might look entirely different depending on your schedule and your family.
The point here is to wash one load from start to finish over the course of a day.
Time: 30 minutes as long as the laundry is separated
PROCESS YOUR MAIL THE MINUTE IT COMES THROUGH YOUR DOOR
I know how it feels when your home is being taken over by incoming mail… When you have to eat in the living room because your dining room table is covered with paper piles.
The best way to prevent incoming mail from taking over every surface in your home is to process your mail the minute it comes through your door.
If you bring in your mail every day, this will only take you a couple of minutes.
USE A MAIL ORGANIZER AND ACTION FILES TO SEPARATE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF MAIL:
- Bills
- Take Action
- To Shred
Add bills to a designated spot whether that be an action file inside of a file organizer or a budget binder.
If you have anything that needs to be taken action on, create another action file labeled “take action” or “to do”.
And everything else gets shredded or recycled.
Time: 10 minutes
Related Post: 9 Ways to Skyrocket Your Spring Cleaning Motivation
WIPE DOWN THE COUNTERS
As I said earlier, we run the dishwasher every single evening after dinner.
The minute the dishwasher starts running, I take 5 minutes to straighten up the kitchen and wipe down the counters.
My 3-year old’s evening chore is to wipe the tables and doorknobs, and my 5-year old wipes the bathroom counters. My husband usually helps with this while I’m finishing up in the kitchen.
Time: 15 minutes for all the counters in the house
Need to get rid of the mess and start decluttering? Click below to join my FREE 5-Day Declutter Challenge starting on Monday, March 29th! 👇
ESTABLISH A 15-MINUTE MID-DAY & EVENING PICKUP ROUTINE
If you have more than one child, this tip will be a game-changer!
We wouldn’t be able to walk through our house at all if we didn’t follow at least two 15-minute pick-up routines a day.
Here are the steps:
- Set a Timer
- Turn on Some Music
- Have Everyone in Your Family Start Picking Up!
We put things back where they belong, pick up the floor, take dishes to the sink (and add them to the dishwasher!) and throw away all trash.
Time: 15 minutes twice a day
Related Post: How to Meal Plan for Beginners
FINAL THOUGHTS
Trying to keep your house clean is a constant struggle.
It feels pointless to even try and clean because it just ends up messy again before dinner.
You’re stressed and overwhelmed and you’re tired of living in chaos.
I know exactly how you feel, I struggled FOR YEARS trying to figure out how to keep a clean house.
And that’s why I came up with this daily tidying routine that makes it easy to keep your house picked up every day.
Here’s how it works:
- Make Your Bed Before Breakfast
- Wash One Load of Laundry from Start to Finish
- Empty Your Dishwasher in the Morning and Run it Overnight
- Process the Mail Right Away
- Wipe Down the Counters
- Practice Two 15-Minute Pickup Routines a Day
If you’re wondering how to keep a clean house, this is the secret!
These 6 steps take less than 2 hours to complete each day and they will save you from hours of cleaning on the weekends!
Two hours a day may seem like a lot, but you can always switch things up and do your laundry on the weekends, for example.
Choose 1 task from above and focus on it for a couple of weeks until you get the hang of it. And then add in another task. Before you know it, you’ll be waking up to a clean house every day of the week!
And when you’re ready to take the next step, download my free guide –
The Daily Tidying Routine 👇
Want to Wake up to a Clean Home Every Day?
Stop the constant cleaning and spend your weekends relaxing with the Daily Tidying Routine!
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